mo degrees mo problems

Presenter’s Contract Is there a higher education crisis?

Why do we have more degrees and less social and economic mobility?

Tweet me, quote me, question me, argue with me vehemently

Higher Education Is In Crisis!

Shifting Higher Ed Landscape

More college students than ever before

1990–2000, total college enrollment grew by 11 percent

2000-2010, total college enrollment grew by 41 percent

Over 5 million more college students in 10 years

Tuition increases across all sectors of higher education

Financial “aid” shifted from grants to student loans

Economy replaced “good” jobs with McJobs

Increasing inequality = Mo’ Degrees, Mo’ Problems

More Education, Less Mobility

Pew Economic Mobility Project. 2010.

Today’s College Student?

Today’s College Student

Constrained Choices

Where are Minority Students?

Hing, Julianne. July 2012. “Here’s How Students of Color Fit Into Higher Ed’s Shifting Ecosystem” Colorlines. http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/07/the_shifting_higher_education_ecosystem_and_how_students_of_color_fit.html

B.A. from Harvard in 2010 = $145,220 in 2010

B.A. from ITT Technical Institute = $110,848

The Price-Prestige Index has been broken

Students from all walks of life borrow a lot of money for a shot at a good job.

Especially true for women, mothers who are already at or below the poverty line.

If we care about the cycle of poverty we must care about how and where women are being educated and for what ends.

So What?

How Did We Get Here? Traditional colleges abandoned any pretense of egalitarian

service

Private sector shifts human capital development to individuals

Neo-liberal education policy = more loans, fewer grants

Decrease in state subsidies of public education

Labor market: expansion of service economy

There are fewer good jobs and fewer avenues to get there

Solutions? Massive Open Online Courses

Coursera, 2Tor, Private-public partnerships

More for-profit colleges

More job-focused degrees

IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID

Degrees don’t create jobs. JOBS CREATE JOBS!

www.tressiemc.com@tressiemcphd

tcottom@emory.edu